Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Attacking Problems
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is crucial for a side facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of securing honors this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with additional challenges apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last campaign, is still to score this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A central player and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
